Tarlac National High School: A Top-Notch Public High School in the Country!

(Last updated On: April 21, 2018)

The "Tarlac National High School (TNHS)" is a timeless legacy of the American regime in the Philippines. TNHS was founded to help the Americans in their mission to expand and improve the public school system in the country.

The school was then known as "Tarlac Provincial High School". It later took the name Tarlac High School. In June 24, 1983, the school was raised to a national high school pursuant to Batas Pambansa Blg. 636. This title placed the TNHS among the ranks of high institutions of learning in the country.

Throughout the century, TNHS has been given distinction as the oldest existing public secondary school in the Philippines with Frank Russel White as the first principal. It is the largest school in terms of student population and the biggest school in a single campus in the entire province of Tarlac. It is the value-laden home and the prime school of the Tarlaqueños.

Educational excellence has always been the mission of the school. The Special Science Class (SSC) piloted in 1994 and formally opened in the school year 1996-1997.

Older than the Commonwealth Republic, the school continues to respond to the changing time. Through the initiative of the current principal, Dr. Yolanda M. Gonzales, TNHS offers other various curricula for high school students aside from Special Science Class (SSC) like Special Program in Foreign Language (SPFL), Special Program in Journalism (SPJ), Special Program in the Arts (SPA) and Special Program in Sports (SPS) designed to develop individual learning inclinations and interests, discover talent in creative arts, to learn foreign language and stress discipline in the field of sports as well as physical sciences.

TNHS's academic life had been interrupted once in 1942-1945 during the Japanese Occupation Forces in the Second World War. And last October 2015, the Francisco S. Makabulos Bldg. popularly known as The Social Hall was raged by fire. But through manmade and natural upheavals, the Tarlac National High School has again emerged triumphantly. It has now grown into an institution fostering exemplary education, research and community service.

TNHS was known as the haven of the best quizzers in the region and in the country as Imee Rose B. Estrada (2010), Jose Mari G. Agustin (2011) and Janella Marie T. Dayrit (2014) made another first in the annals of history as they ranked first in the National Population Quiz Show. It is by far the only school in the entire country to achieve such feat.

🔥 If you like to read the article about the winners of POPQUIZ, check out:

• Tarlac Province wins Second at the Regional Pop Quiz

• National Pop Quiz Winners Through the Years

Another laurel bow was bestowed upon the TNHS when several students were named finalists and winners in the prestigious annual Ten Outstanding Boy Scout (TOBS) of the Philippines like Roland Dane Z. Carreon, Marwin Serrano, and Minette Yvonne M. Gonzales. And proving that the Tarlac National High School has a firm hand of leadership, Jose Miguel L Roxas was elected Youth Sangguniang Panlungsod Secretary while Adrian M. Tabag was elected President of the Division Federation of the Supreme Student Government in 2017.

In recent history, the school made another historic feat by winning silver medals in Jakarta, Indonesia and in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia for the choir and dance competitions, respectively. A gold medal in archery in Palarong Pambansa 2017, first place in Mandarin Quiz Whiz during the National Festival of Talents (NFOT) 2018 and first place in Collaborative and Desktop Publishing during the National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) 2018.

Special Education (SPED) was introduced in TNHS San Miguel Campus last 2013. It paves way for students with special needs to grow up fully functioning, productive, and happy members of society. The students have been victorious in the recently concluded Festival of Talents in Special Education held in San Fernando City, Pampanga where they won first place in Basic Cooking. The school also won first place in Standing Long Jump, 50 and 100 meters dash.

The school was awarded 2015 and 2016 best Brigada Eskwela implementer at the national level. And also the overall winner last 2017 Education Week in the province.

Moving on to 2018 and true to its mission, the school continues to commit itself to the pursuit of truth and to the preservation, advancement, and transmission of knowledge.

TNHS envisions to become a center of excellence in the various programs of teachings. It aims to be an acknowledged expert in the key areas of research. By this mission and vision, the Tarlac National High School in 2018 will be reaching beyond Tarlac and networking with other institutions not only in the region but in the entire country!